REPROACH

Joshua 5:9 – And the Lord said to Joshua, This day I have rolled away the REPROACH of Egypt from you. So the name of this place is called Gilgal [rolling] to this day.

God makes this declaration to the Israelites after the circumcision of the new generation and just before the battle at Jericho whereby the Israelites would victoriously march into the Promised Land. This same protocol is still used for God’s people today. Cut the flesh away (better known as dying to the flesh), then the reproach (or shame) will be rolled away, and finally you may march triumphantly into your promised land.

So often we come to God with our dreams and demands, yet we wonder why we are still living in bondage in Egypt. Why is our past still haunting us? Why do we still feel the shame and reproach and judgment of our past? God’s recipe for success must be followed in order to take hold of our promised lands.

Let me give you a more modern, personal example from my own life. I gave my life to Christ as a teenager allowing him to be the Savior of my life but not the Lord of my life (big difference between the two, by the way). For the next 20 years I proceeded to live as the captain of my own ship, the master of my own destiny. Twenty years of bad choices and wrong decisions heaped on mountains of shame and disgrace (reproach). I diligently went to church every Sunday, attended Bible studies, and clung earnestly to the promises in God’s word. Yet, things got worse instead of better. My guilt and bitterness over my past was still there, I still was walking in bondage in many areas, and I saw no hint of any Promised Land in my horizon.

This is the very place where many Christians find themselves …….. stuck, dry, and disheartened. The flesh has not been rolled away so there is no power for victory. Our chains are still intact, our enemies still have the upper hand. Christ must be the Savior AND Lord of our lives. He must be in control. We must surrender to Him in order to find His rest.

The miraculous march around Jericho is probably well known to most of us, but the prerequisites are ignored. We want the power, the victory, and the abundance, but not the cost. There is no victory without Jesus. There is no Promised Land without His presence. And there is no freedom without the power of his Holy Spirit rolling the reproach away.

FAIR

There is no verse for the day because this word is NOT found in God's word. I looked in the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance and found only references to the word “fair” in the sense of lovely and beautiful, not in the sense that we like to use it. The dictionary defines fair as reasonable, unbiased, done according to the “rules.” Okay, then, whose rules?

I get so impatient with my young children when they use this word in the following sentence, "He gets to stay up later that me. That’s not fair!" I wonder if God gets equally impatient when I use that word in like manner. "That's not fair, God. Why should believers suffer with illness and poverty? So and So gets to go on a cruise and have nice things and we’re struggling just to pay our bills." Same immature tone, different perspective.

Instead of "fair" God uses words such as justice and holiness. He alone is perfectly Just and perfectly Holy. We don't have to worry that He's doing something unfair on our behalf. My children may not understand the value of getting to bed at a reasonable hour or being disciplined for disobedience, but they have no choice but to trust my best judgement. Sometimes I am unfair because of my own personal issues such as lack of sleep, anxiety, stress, and the all important bad hair day. I can assure you that we don't have to ever worry about catching God in a bad mood. He does nothing out of selfish motives or with evil intent. He can't because he is perfectly Holy.

It is fair to say that life is unfair, people are unfair, and circumstances are unfair. But not God. He is perfect love all the time. Do our circumstances seem unfair, and can we doubt what God has in store? Certainly. Tell Him so. Tell Him that you don't understand what's going on, and as far as you know you are not involved in sin or disobedience. Then tell Him that you will trust in Him completely anyway. Then step aside and wait to be blessed. God's number one objective for our lives is relationship – not comfort or fun or riches, although He uses those things to bless us.

Once He sees we love him enough to trust His will and His plans, even when they look unfair, then He can trust us with Himself. I want to give my children rewards and gifts but I absolutely cannot when they are in disobedience or walk around all day in a disrespectful attitude. How can God bless us and increase us and show us more of Himself when we too walk around with a chip on our shoulder or rebellion in our hearts? This world will never be "fair" because it is full of imperfect fallen human beings. Surrender to the only Perfect One who is fair in every sense of the word.

ABUNDANCE

John 10:10 – The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in ABUNDANCE (to the full, till it overflows).

This one small sentence speaks volumes to me. First, Jesus is saying that there are two forces in our world. There is an evil force that Jesus calls the thief. The thief comes only, not for any other reason, but to steal (to take things away from us), to kill (to actually murder us), and to destroy (demolish anything of any importance in our lives, including our loved ones).

Then we see another Force in the universe, One that came to give us life because we were dead in our sins before He came. Christ then says something you may have missed. He didn't just come to save you from your sins and guarantee you a free ticket into heaven when you die in 50 or 60 years. He came to give you an enjoyable, abundant life that overflows and spills out of you and onto others. Abundance means plentiful, more than enough. It's sad to see believers walking around in depression or bondage just waiting until they can cash in their "get out of hell free card." If that were the plan then why couldn't Jesus just save us from our sins and zap us straight into eternity with Him? Why does He leave us here?

My guess is that He wants us to learn to trust Him and love Him in a very unique way. One that involves pure faith. Once He sees that we are willing and able vessels then He does something so precious that you have to experience it to believe it. He actually uses us as His ambassadors, as His spokesperson. He trusts us enough with His word and His spirit to send us out into this world (which starts in your own home, by the way) on His behalf. What an awesome job. Is there someone in your life that you would trust to that extent? What if you had a life or death message that had to be delivered to a specific person at a very precise moment? This is deeper and more significant than anything you've ever been a part of. Who would you trust to deliver this all important piece of information? Would they represent you correctly?

When we think of the abundant life we tend to think in terms of the material realm. How about having an abundance of joy, more than enough peace, and overflowing love. This is what it's all about. Let God fill you to the brim with His very presence, with His love and joy until you have enough for yourself and all those around you. The more we come into God's presence for a refill, the more we have for others. This is truly abundant living!

KNOW

Jeremiah 29:11 -- For I KNOW the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.

God knows the end of the story - our story. We don't know what the next chapter or even the next page holds. Sometimes when I get a new book I'm tempted to flip to the back in order to catch a glimpse at the ending. Or if I'm deeply engrossed in the plot and it looks like the good guy or the main character might be in danger I'll quickly scan to the end of the chapter to make sure good triumphs over evil. Is that cheating?

Oh, that we could do that with our own lives. Just to be able to fast forward a month or a year to have that assurance that our families will remain healthy, that our paychecks will simply remain, and that our relationships will grow and not wither. Just a peek to see if danger is lurking around the corner and, if so, will the hero come and save the day.

The One who formed the world also wrote the Book. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last (the Before all and the End of all), Revelation 22:13; which, by the way, is the last chapter of the last book of the Bible. Yes, I flipped to the end to see what would happen. He knew you before you were an embryo (Jeremiah 1:5), and all your days were written in His book before one of them ever took place (Psalm 139:16).

If you have asked Christ Jesus into your heart, to forgive you of your sins and to become the Lord and Savior of your very life, then you can rest assured that His thoughts for you are now for peace and hope and for a future. No more will you have to hide from God and fear every shadow in every corner. You are not here haphazardly because two cells crashed into each other. The Maker of the universe, the Author of the book, the Beginning of all and the End of all put you here at this exact moment in time for a specific purpose and plan. What ever chapter in life you happen to be in, you can be absolutely certain that the Hero of the story defeats the villain and the two of you live happily ever after for all eternity.

LITTLE

Luke 16:10 – He who is faithful in a very LITTLE [thing] is faithful also in much, and he who is dishonest and unjust in a very little [thing] is dishonest and unjust also in much.

Would you give your car keys to your two year old and say, “See you later son, and don’t be late.” Or would you give your one day old employee the combination to the safe and tell him to mind the store for the day while you were gone? Yet, that’s how our minds operate sometimes in regards to what we expect out of life and out of God. “Lord, I want to write the big novel and have all the financial freedom and honor that come with it.” But I think it’s beneath me or a waste of time to journal every day. “God, I’m begging you for that promotion at work.” Yet you call in sick at the drop of a hat and don’t give your boss 100% day after day.

We want the fat paycheck and the big office, the best life has to offer, but we can’t be trusted with the small things of life. I know our society daily announces in one media or the other the fact that we can have it all, we deserve the best, and it’s all about us. Of course God wants only the best for us, but not at the expense of our integrity. Our Heavenly Father is just itching to bless us and grow us and use us, but like any good parent He knows it takes baby steps to mature us properly.

Our impatient culture constantly tries to undercut God’s goals for us. Namely, to plant a seed, water it and nourish it, watch it grow, and then bless others with the fruit it produces. The little seed contains the tree, but it starts out very little.

LOST

Luke 15:24 – Because this my son was dead and is alive again; he was LOST and is found! And they began to revel and feast and make merry.

You're going to think I'm a terrible mother but I'm going to tell you this story anyway. When my firstborn child was two years old I took him shopping with me to the Mall. He entertained himself playing under the rack of clothing that I was diligently looking through. A few seconds later I peeked through the rack to check on him and guess what – he was gone! At that moment I had a wave of terror and nausea come over me that I will never forget. I frantically scanned the floor looking for his two precious little feet but to no avail. I darted through the racks now not caring what I looked like or what the other shoppers thought. Within probably ten seconds I spotted my son running carefree and playing, so I ran to him and scooped him us as if he had been missing for years.

The father in the story penned in the book of Luke watched his son leave with his share of the inheritance, not knowing if he would ever see him again. The son was happy and playing and having a blast, oblivious to the father's pain. The passage doesn't say how long the boy was gone, but it was long enough for him to blow a small fortune and end up as a hired hand on a pig farm, so hungry that he ate the pig's scraps. So long that the father thought he was dead. It's amazing how clear our perspective becomes in the mud. The son realizes what he has done and knows now that his only way of survival is to humble himself and go back to his father.

I think you have caught on by now that the father in this story represents our Heavenly Father and we are the wayward son. Our pigpens are different but our spiritual poverty is the same nonetheless. Our only hope for survival is to recognize our impoverished state and run back home into the Father's arms.

When I found my son in the store that day part of me wanted to punish him for giving me such a scare and for leaving my side, but my joy at finding him far outweighed that temptation. I knew that he was oblivious to the danger surrounding him and was too immature to know any better. When our Father sees us come to him with a sincere and repentant heart His first response is always joy – joy to the point of "lets throw a party and celebrate" as scripture tells us. Don't ever let pride or fear keep you in the mud when there's a royal feast awaiting your return. Trust me, He will be overjoyed to have you back in his arms!

Psalm 145:18 – The Lord is NEAR to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him sincerely and in truth.

We were all born to be near someone. It’s ingrained in us. How else could you explain the pandemic of cell phones, texting, and instant messaging? We have to know that another human being is just a click away. Our God is the master of communication, after all it was His idea in the first place. He tells us in no uncertain terms that He will be near to us when we call upon Him sincerely and in truth. No monthly plans or costly devices. Prayer is all we need.

I just read in Philip Yancey’s book on Prayer an interesting fact about what we would consider unanswered prayer or “wrestling with God.” Just before Jacob was to meet up with his estranged brother of 20 years, Esau, (remember it was Jacob who conned Esau out of his birthright twice which set this family feud off in the first place) Jacob spent the night in prayer with a “Man” which commentators have referred to as God Himself (Gen. 32:24). God wrestled with Jacob all night before blessing him, touching him physically, and then changing his name from Jacob (trickster) to Israel (contender with God).

Yancey brings up a beautiful point about this account in scripture. At any given moment God could have won by knock out this wrestling match; however, He chose to entangle Himself all night long with Jacob. God wanted to be near to him. Jacob had prayed in desperation knowing that at daybreak he could lose his life to his brother along with the lives of his wives and children. Instead of instantly changing the heart of Esau or granting Jacob’s pleas for reconciliation God chose to answer in a different way. A way that involved nearness, wrestling, dancing, and hand-in-hand combat if you will. When it was all said and done not only was Jacob’s prayers of appeasement and reunion answered, but Jacob had received a blessing, a new confidence in his relationship with God, and a new name which would carve out his destiny.

I have personally been in a wrestling match with God for years over some of the same obstacles. Many of my prayers have been miraculously answered but some have not. These remaining burdens have been the very catalysts which send me straight into the presence of God Almighty. The barriers have become the blessing. The “No’s” have brought me nearer than any “Yes’s” could have. He is near to me always, but strikingly more so when we’re dancing to the tune of Prayer.

LAMP

Psalm 119:105 – Your word is a LAMP to my feet and a light to my path.

This verse conjures up images of a person walking alone down a dark winding path. Clouds cover even any hint of moonlight. The only illumination comes from the lamp he carries. The light is strong and reliable and it is his only source of direction. If you’ve ever been in this predicament of carrying a lamp or lantern through the pitch black night you know that the scope of the light only reaches maybe a ten foot radius. As you move forward, so does the lamp, and so does your path begin to open itself up to you. The same holds true when you’re driving at night on one of those old country roads where there are no street lights or lit up houses nearby. You can only see what’s right in front of you.

There are many references to God’s word being a light (2 Cor. 4:4), a lamp (Prov. 6:23), truth (2 Sam. 7:28), and the Way (John 14:6). But I love the image it portrays in this passage. The word leads us step by step, a little at a time, keeping us totally dependent on the source of the light, the Giver of the word. So many walk in darkness, uncertain and unsatisfied. They make wrong turns, trip and stumble on unseen obstacles, and ultimately find themselves hopelessly lost.

Why do we set off on a darkened unknown trail without a lamp? How I must confess to so many journeys in the absolute black of night with not a hint of light to lead my way. God’s word is the lamp, His commands are the map, His promises are the hope, and His Holy Spirit that has breathed it all into existence is the very oil that fires the lamp into action. Let His word be the light to lead your way today.